This past week, I put new Pirelli Sport Demons on my son's 2005 Ninja 500R The receipt from the shop stated:
WARNING! Ride SLOW and with CAUTION, New tires are slippery. Not Liable for Damages or Injurys.Hmm...
- What is the exact meaning and what are the implications of this warning?
- Why are new tires slippery?
- What is the specific point at which new tires will have the equivalent grip as old tires?
As a start, the warning from my bike shop (above) was clearly intended to be a release of liability.
What's missing on my receipt is any exclusion of time or action for which the "new tire" condition exists. What, are they trying to say that my old tires had better grip, and I'll have to wait until my new tires are old before they'll have the same grip?
I was sure this is not the case, and I set out to find an answer.
First off, I visited web sites for motorcycle tire manufacturers. If the slippery new tire condition exists, I'm certain that the lawyers for tire manufacturers would include a very specific disclaimer.
The only tire manufacturer I could find to provide an opinion on the matter was Dunlop. They list the following on the FAQ page at http://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/care/faq/.
How much run-in should I give a new tire?When new tires are fitted, they should not be subjected to maximum power or hard cornering until a reasonable run-in distance of approximately 100 miles has been achieved.This is necessary for a number of reasons. Replacements for worn tires with different patterns and construction will not react the same. Also, a new tire is stiffer than an old tire. The new tire has a rounder tread profile, different contact patch and “lean-over edge” than the worn profile of an old tire. The new tire will also not react the same in combination with its remaining tire.Carrying out the required run-in will allow you to become accustomed to the “feel” of the new tires and tire combinations, so you are better able to achieve optimum road grip for use in high speed, high acceleration and handling situations.
So, what are they trying to say? I don't think they are saying that new tires are slippery at all. In fact, I don't even see the word slippery. In my view, they are simply saying that new tires are going to be different than your old tires and consequently will handle differently. This is a far different scenario than tires which are slippery.
So should I be careful riding on new tires? Absolutely. Are they slippery? I don't think so.
The test: I took my son's bike for a ride, still thinking about these new, slippery tires. I thought about all the discussion posts from folks who "low sided" their bike riding out of the motorcycle shop parking lot or turning at an intersection.
Well, I thought about them for all of 15 minutes of riding. Soon after, I ducked into a parking lot and I was doing cone weaves and the sort. Not on purpose, but I had completely forgotten about these slippery tires after only about 20 miles! Did I crash? Nope.
So what about folks who claim to crash their bike right out of the tire shop parking lot, "low side" it making a simple left hand turn at an intersection, or crash simply driving around the neighborhood? I have no idea. My best guess is that the tires actually had better or different grip vs. what the rider was expecting. Or, perhaps they're just inexperienced riders.
I have read that a "heat cycle" is required in order for new tires to break-in and thus lose their slippery-ness. But, precisely how hot do my new tires need to get and for how long? What if I get new tires in the winter (and I did)? While the heat cycle theory seems reasonable, I could not find any basis for this from tire manufacturers. Again, if this is required, I'm fairly certain that smart lawyers from the tire manufacturers would include this very clearly. I have read (and I can't find the link now) that heat cycles are required for racing tires because of the type of rubber from which they are made.
As always, do your research and make your own decision, but I'm convinced that new tires are not slippery.
